I have TONS of footage, still pouring in from all over.
Yesterday was a huge success!! I will give the full report but in short, it could not have gone better.
Here's a small peak of what's coming.
Emma may
He's diggin' it!!
Me, Mom, Dad, Brother Brian, Niece Kelsey
A parent and a boat captain, .....mutual love, respect and a firm grip.
"That's ME!!" (picture is mounted in awards plaque)
What's just as good as a BEAMING child?!!
A BEAMING Parent!!
Wow.........glad I was there
I truly believe this web site is blessed of God due to the heart of our members
Russ
Something is definitely going on.......
Realllllly cool pictures!
Simply incredible Russ!!!!!
It's almost like "how do you top that"?
But you know what
I'm certain you will.
great looking family dude!!! take a few years off dad and you two could pass 4 twins
You sure their ain't no mrs. LBH in the future?
hell i'm not a girl but even i'd marry you.
wait......... i don't think that came out right
anyway..........wonderful stuff here dude.
Russ,
An admirable job of capturing the spirit of a CAST for Kids event in photos.
Of course, nothing compares to actually being there and sharing your boat with a deserving child and a grateful parent...but this came close.
I am so anxious to make one of these happen here in Iowa.
Thanks man.
Billy Raymond
Good Going my Brother , never mind the site THE WORLD IS BLESSED BY YOUR PRESENCE!
Man you look like your DAD!!!!!!!!!!
QuoteSomething is definitely going on.......
Care to elaborate? :
Russ, you have no clue how much you have helped me........in more ways than just Nik.....
Thanks
Great pictures LBH. Brought a smile to my face. Loved the picture of you and your family. Dad sure looks proud.
Avid,
That didn't come out right, dude.
Thanks everybody, what an amazing day.
Deb- We will do great things, I promise.
My brother showing up was an awesome surprise, he is supposed to be away on vacation on an opposite note, my sister and niece (who both look forward to this BIGTIME) couldn't come. My niece's health has been borderline lately, back and forth to the hospital had their travel scope limited on Saturday but she is doing much better today, so that's some good news there.
Dad had surgery same day as event last year so getting him there was another huge plus.
The volunteers, too many to mention, and too much to say about each. What a team. They made it all happen. I can't thank you enough.
The letters started coming in yesterday, I wanted to share a few with you.
If you have ever thought about maybe hosting one of these, a few of these letters would sure push you over the fence. The day of the event, I am very busy, this stuff doesn't hit me till the day after when I start reading things like this :
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On Saturday August 25, 2007, my daughter (Christine) and her two sisters (Amber & Alysha) participated in their first Cast for Kids event that was held at Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island. Christine is a special young lady whom my wife and I adopted some years ago and has been diagnosed as having a rather rare chromosome 15 abnormality. Her older sister, Alysha, has epilepsy and is learning disabled.
We had received an email on June 12, 2007 from A Wish Come True that explained the particulars of the event. We signed Christine and Alysha up, although admittedly we had some trepidation. Being told that their two therapists and their younger sister, Amber, could also participate help relieve some of my wife's reservations.
A day after the event, I can honestly say that this was a truly awesome experience. The volunteers handled everything expertly. The fishing excursion went off flawlessly and Christine has not stopped talking about it since. On the way back to the shore, the small motor on Bert's boat became inoperable. He explained that he was going to have to start the rear motor, but when he saw that Christine became very anxious over her uncertainty of the engine's noise, Bert rowed the boat back. To me, this was unnecessarily amazing. (Thanks so much for your consideration Bert!) That night, the three girls asked us to go to a local fish store to buy trout for dinner. Yes, I would say this entire experience had a positive impact.
My wife and I want to send a millions thanks to all those involved for their effort and commitment. Your organization is to be commended for this charitable endeavor. Thanks so much for being there.
With our appreciation,
Steven (& Jo-Ann) DiBiasio
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To: Russell Thetonia
From: Sandra (A wish come Come true mom)
I just wanted to thank you so much for the wonderful event you put on for the kids today.My son Matty and I had the pleasure of going out to fish with captain Ray on the Black Pearl. What a truly delightful experience. Being a single mom Matt has never had the opportunity to go out and fish with "the guys".So he looked forward to today ! Although I spent most of the time as a mom would worried about him falling overboard captain Ray was truly wonderful, A true skipper ! I must tell you Matt had the BEST time of his life today and I say that truly from the heart.I can never thank you or your wonderful organization enough for the opportunity you gave my son today. Please send a copy of this to captain Ray as I don't have his email but I want him to know how much of an inpact he had on my sons life today.He will never stop talking about this experience. You all should feel extremely proud of what you did today! May God bless you all sandra orr and family
That's cool my brother.
MOST EXCELLENT!!!!!!!! The letters will make you well up a little though :'(.
Ronnie
Those tears, for me,...are like jumping in a pool on a 95 degree day. Feeling alive in a good way is priceless.
You da MAN!
8-)
QuoteYou da MAN!8-)
Nope,...I'm just the host,...the moms and dads who live this stuff every day,.....now THEY the man!
QuoteThose tears, for me,...are like jumping in a pool on a 95 degree day. Feeling alive in a good way is priceless.
For all the mom's of those kids...........Thanks again........I'm excited. I'm encouraged.
I'm scared
Pause, reflect, remember, smile..............go forward.............
What can one say?
Words don't say enough........
Awesome!!!!
Truly a great story LBH! Well Done!!! My hat is off to you.
You're one in a million Russ......an excellent and meaningful job well done!
Your a young man Russell, but yours is an old soul.
a couple more re-cycles dude and your done.
I hear Nirvana is lovely this time of year.
Remember what I said, if I ever sell the car and get that tin Tracker, you'll have another captain. Even tho it was hotter than h@ll, it was still a great day. Brian and I got a good lesson from "bannerologist" Art Pasley.
Now let's see some more pics!
What a day, thanks for including me Hook
Wow Russ!!! That is simply awesome. You did a great thing for your community. We need more people on this planet willing to do so much for others. Keep up the great work.
TL